


How not to Grow Attached (Reupload)

by DeimosAlexein



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Absolute fluff, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Not proofread - we die like men, Safe For Work, doesn't follow the game at all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:01:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27151492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeimosAlexein/pseuds/DeimosAlexein
Summary: Thaletas knew he would eventually give Sparta a son, this wasn't how he imagined that happening however. (Prompt from the tiny Thalexios Discord server I'm on. With love for Cali for doing the incredible, adorable art. <3)
Relationships: Alexios/Thaletas (Assassin's Creed)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 89





	How not to Grow Attached (Reupload)

Thaletas thought he knew fear. Fear was something he could put the sharp end of a spear or sword through and make bleed. He could scream in defiance in the face of fear and have it back down from the fight. Fear, now, was waiting. The refugees had come to the camp in the middle of the night, quite by accident. The one woman among them had her baby just as dawn was coloring the horizon. By the time the sun peeked out over the hills to the east, she was gone, leaving the tiny baby behind and word with Alexios that the child’s father had been a Spartan. Another mouth to feed and no one young enough to aid with a newborn.

“That was why they sought us out, she had a son too. Some general I don’t recognize.” Alexios explained once he was cleaned up. In the face of battle, fear was an old friend. In a situation of helping a mortally wounded woman give birth, Alexios had been the only one to plunge into that battle headlong. Thaletas already felt regret twisting in his chest. Alexios held the baby up tight against one side of his chest, almost hiding the bundle from view. “Thaletas, what are we going to do?”

A two day march, one if the rest understood the urgency, and a wet-nurse. Thaletas nodded before he answered, resolve not to fail this one too already setting in.

  
\--

  
\-- 

By the grace of the gods, they had made the trek in a day. Not because geography had suddenly bent to Thaletas’ will to move itself so but simply because one of the villages they had passed through had a young wet-nurse that offered her immediate help. Alexios seemed reluctant in letting the child go, although that detail hardly went unmissed by the woman,

“I never would have thought that Spartans would allow for such things.” She explained at length once Thaletas prompted, her tone quiet like the walls of the tiny house had ears. Alexios’ confused expression mirrored Thaletas’ own. “Is it not obvious? You two and the baby.”

Across the way, Alexios coughed into his cup of wine. Thaletas simultaneously wanted to go and make sure he was alright and rooted where he sat in sheer mortification. “It isn’t like…” Yet. It is was not like that yet. Thaletas stopped short of what he was going to say, especially at meeting Alexios’ gaze. The Misthios was not bound by such laws and traditions, Thaletas’ heart was starting to understand that.

The woman laughed quietly, turning her attention back to the nursing baby, “Worry not, I won’t tell a soul.” Thaletas already knew that, he was afraid of everything else that came with this.

  
\--

  
\-- 

They hired the woman on to join them, for the sake of the child. Alexios had insisted on doing so, almost already ran ragged by nerves that Thaletas was much better at hiding. The Misthios had fallen asleep in the back of the wagon that the group had acquired on leaving the village. Figuring out how to take the baby from Alexios and holding the tiny bundle was another matter entirely, Thaletas felt completely inadequate.

“Like this,” The woman showed him after a moment’s fumbling. She laughed when Thaletas shot her an imploring look, “Relax, you two will make excellent parents.”

By the gods, that was what scared him.

  
\--

  
\-- 

Three days and two nights from the village, they had set up camp. A simple enough task on the best of nights, made worse by Alexios’ stumbling about half asleep on his feet. Thaletas shooed him to an early bed and, after receiving no fuss, sat in shock when Alexios stooped to brush a kiss of thanks against the corner of his lips. Thaletas’ skin burned where the contact had been for an hour, Thaletas was certain he blushed for far longer.

\--  
  
\-- 

“He’ll need a name eventually.” Thaletas blurted out of the blue on the morning of the fifth day. Alexios startled a little bit and glanced over his shoulder at the wet-nurse, who very astutely turned away from them both.

“You’re getting attached, Thaletas.” Alexios muttered, part accusation and part teasing.

“You already are, Alexios.” Thaletas shot back, feeling his face growing hot in embarrassment. By the gods, would this ever get any easier. Alexios smiled at him enigmatically, the corners of his eyes crinkling just a bit. “But even if w… he can’t stay, he’ll need a name.”

Alexios’ frown slowly began to vanish on realizing what was being asked of him. He leaned close, nuzzling at Thaletas’ neck and behind his ear, “What if I don’t want to.”

Thaletas shivered, putting a hand up to stop Alexios’ nuzzling before that morphed into something more. “We can’t--”

“As Spartans, no.” Alexios scowled, Thaletas could not remember a time of ever seeing Alexios teetering so on anger. “There’s more than just war, Thaletas. There’s proof.” He nodded back to the woman and tiny baby.

Alexios was right. Thaletas knew that. Alexios knew that. Thaletas was afraid of what that meant but this war was no place to raise a child, however briefly that might be. “He still needs a name.”

  
\--

  
\-- 

Alexios woke with a start. He had heard Alastor start to cry then quiet again, which alone was cause enough for him to grab a blade and start to stand to check. Except…

“Shh, you’ll wake him.” Alexios’ posture relaxed. He padded out to the door of the tent, careful not to disturb the fabric to alert anyone that he was there. He could barely make out the outline of Thaletas in the moonlight, cradling the baby boy like he was the most precious thing in the world. Alastor cooed up at him then yawned. “Yes, I know, this is your fault, you know.” Thaletas yawned immediately afterwards.

Alexios poorly stifled a laugh, opting to trudge back to bed to get a few more minutes’ blissful sleep before either Thaletas woke him or Alastor.

\--  
  
\-- 

“I never thought…” Thaletas started but shook his head and trailed off. Alexios knew, the same thought was going through his head.

How could two Spartans wind up with a tiny child in their care. Thaletas had always talked about sons but this was never how he imagined things turning out. That life involved a wife, retiring from duty, chasing after children, training sons… and the gods had laughed at him. Alastor was asleep in the crib that one of the other Spartans had fashioned, looking every bit as deceptively peaceful as was possible. In a couple hours, the tiny terror would be awake, robbing him and Alexios of more sleep. That bone-deep ache of tiredness never seemed to go away anymore. Always interspersed with fleeting touches and soft kisses from Alexios that Thaletas found himself returning more and more.

“I never did either, if that helps.” Alexios mumbled. Thaletas turned and walked over to him, forcing his way into Alexios’ arms and hummed in contentment when he was embraced. Without much thought, Thaletas looped his arms around Alexios’ waist; his face half buried against his chest.

“Do you think…” Thaletas started again, stopped and sighed. Alexios raised a brow and peered down at him expectantly. Things like this were not discussed, especially among Spartans. It happened, certainly, but… “I don’t know if I can do this alone.”

Alexios squeezed him a little tighter, seemingly just as much for him as Thaletas. “You never had to and you never will.”

  
\--

  



End file.
